Vashon Island

Last weekend we went to the beautiful Vashon Island, off Tacoma, WA. We had a fabulous time with four other families from our homeschool group (alas, we were missing 2 families). We stayed at the hostel there, sleeping in teepees and fixing our meals in a kitchen that was in building made of whole logs from the property. We actually had the use of two kitchens, and there was a third building that had a piano in it. The feature that probably got the most use, however, was a huge grassy field--probably 200 yards long and 100 or more wide. A was wishing that Capture the Flag was an Olympic sport because she thought we could put up a credible team (she suggested Zac for captain, by the way, for his calm head and good sense of strategy). At one point they tried wheelbarrow tag, though it didn't last all that long (see above). We spent one afternoon at a beach at low tide that had a tide pool (? I guess it was a tide pool--it looked like a stream but was salty) filled with various types of crabs and little fish and other miscellaneous wildlife. We even found a couple of small razor clams that we got to see live, in action. The kids made a bunch of little pools that they filled with living creatures they collected, along with rocks, shells, driftwood, and seaweed. They probably gathered up at least 50 hermit crabs amongst them all.

It poured rain on the last night, which highlighted the down-side of staying in teepees, but it was actually nice to have something to motivate us to get up and on the road. It is perfect to be able to leave with no regrets that we were going back to our warm, dry house. I'd love to make that trip an annual event, but unfortunately the woman who runs the place is selling it after this summer, and I doubt it will remain the reasonably priced hostel that it is now.